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Fans were over the moon with attacker Arda Guler's performance in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final of the FIFA Club World Cup (July 5).
Guler was named in the starting XI for the all-important clash by manager Xabi Alonso. Playing as a free-roaming forward between midfield and attack, the youngster showed exactly why Real paid €24 million to sign him from Fenerbahce in June 2023.
He delivered a pin-point cross for Gonzalo Garcia to score the opener in the 10th minute. He also set up superstar attacker Kylian Mbappe for Los Blancos' third of the night (90+4'), with the Frenchman scoring a scissor kick from the Turkish forward's deep cross.
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Guler completed 65 of his 68 passes (96%), won two of three duels (66%), played two accurate crosses and two long balls and made two tackles (100%) (Stats via FotMob). Fans were left impressed with the 20-year-old, taking to X to lavish praise on him.
@maskedSK wrote:
"Arda Guler is not just performing it's more like making a statement. The kid’s cooking, and the main course is greatness."
Tagging Real Madrid's official X account, @ImperiousFener wrote:
"Give him the (number) 10 (jersey)."
Here is a selection of fan reactions (via X):
"Arda is (the) new (Luka) Modric," @qwertylaws compared the youngster to the Croatian legend.
"REAL MVP Arda Guler... Arda deserves number 10," @Mr_Flagtar wrote.
"So happy he'd be a starter come 2025/2026 season," @Mrcells wrote.
"Bro turned the pitch into his personal playground, making precision look like second nature," @tianaxcutie wrote.
"He is a maestro," @_helikon_ wrote.
"WORLD CLASS," @kentrellsfan claimed.
"Proper baller," @selchumm asserted.
Up next, Guler will likely be seen in action in Real Madrid's Club World Cup semi-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Wednesday (July 9).
WATCH: Kylian Mbappe scores his first goal for Real Madrid at the FIFA Club World Cup vs Dortmund
French superstar Kylian Mbappe grabbed his first Club World Cup goal for Real Madrid in the Merengues' 3-2 win over German giants Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final.
Madrid were leading comfortably for the majority of the game after early goals from Gonzalo Garcia (10') and Fran Garcia (20'). However, a late strike from Maximilian Beier (90+2') pegged them back to 2-1 and gave Dortmund a glimmer of hope in the final moments of the game.
Mbappe, who came on as a substitute in the 67th minute, had absolutely no intention of giving the opposition a way back into the game. Just two minutes after Beier's strike, he sealed the deal with his first goal at the CWC.
Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler played a cross into him at the back post, and the Frenchman timed his jump perfectly and executed a scintillating scissor-kick finish. The goal can be seen in the clip below:
The strike took Mbappe's tally to 44 goals (and five assists) in 58 appearances across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign.
